I am not a Real Madrid fan. Quite the opposite. As a proud Cule, Los Blancos are the rival I measure everything against. But before allegiance, before colors, I am a football fan. And football, at its best, is about ideas, authority and the fragile balance between talent and structure.
That is why Barcelona’s 3-2 victory over Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday, felt like more than just another Clasico win.
Beating Madrid is always sweet. Beating them in a final is indulgent, like sinking into a perfectly cooked, juicy oxtail, rich and satisfying until the last bite.
Yet less than 24 hours later, the aftertaste turned bitter. Xabi Alonso was gone.
As a Cule, watching chaos at the Santiago Bernabeu often brings guilty pleasure.
As a football purist, Alonso’s sacking on Monday, was something else entirely: a warning flare for the modern game.
This was
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